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 For the next eight days, some of the country's top boys soccer teams will be playing in Milwaukee.
The U.S. Soccer Development Academy Finals Week kicks off Saturday with the eight Under-17/18 sides in action at Marquette's Valley Fields, Uihlein Soccer Park and Milwaukee Marquette High School.
Four games are scheduled each day, with the Under-15/16 competition starting Sunday. The age groups are split into four-team pools, with placement matches capping the event – the Under-17/18 finals are next Friday, with the championship game televised live on ESPNU and streamed online at ESPN3.com, and the Under-15/16 finals are July 16.
The 16 teams qualified for the Finals Week by winning their respective four-team groups at the Development Academy playoffs June 24 to 28 at Pizza Hut Park in Frisco, Texas. The top 32 teams at each age level advanced to the playoffs, from the group of 78 teams across the nation that make up the Development Academy.
Five Major League Soccer clubs have teams in the finals: the New York Red Bulls and FC Dallas in the Under-17/18 competition and the Los Angeles Galaxy, Seattle Sounders and Real Salt Lake in Under-15/16 play. The Dallas Texans and North Carolina club CASL Chelsea Academy FC have teams in the finals in both age groups.
"Hopefully, it will be an eye-opener for people," said Christian Lavers, the academy director for FC Milwaukee, the only Wisconsin club in the Development Academy. "We can talk about the Academy all day long and say 'This is the greatest thing since sliced bread,' but some people are going to say, 'Well, that's just FC Milwaukee saying that.' ... (So) I really hope the soccer community comes out to see the level of the games."
This is the first time in the Development Academy's four years that the finals have been held somewhere other than the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif.
U.S. Soccer Development Academy Finals Week schedule, scores
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Three players who have committed to Wisconsin colleges earned Development Academy postseason honors. Real Salt Lake-Arizona defender Julio Alarcon, headed to UW-Milwaukee in the fall, was named to the Under-15/16 Starting XI and the West Conference Starting XI. Chicago Sockers FC defender John Pothast, who has verbally committed to Marquette for 2012, claimed a spot on the Under-15/16 Central Conference Starting XI. Both Alarcon and Pothast qualify for the Under-15/16 division but played exclusively with their clubs' Under-17/18 sides during the season. St. Louis Scott Gallagher defender A.J. Cochran, an incoming freshman at the University of Wisconsin, made the Under-17/18 Central Conference Starting XI.
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FC Milwaukee's Development Academy teams wrapped up the 2010-11 season at the Summer Showcase, held in conjunction with the playoffs in Texas. The Nationals' Under-17/18 team (7-13-6) beat California's La Jolla Nomads 1-0 and Alabama's Birmingham United 2-1 while falling to Greater Boston 3-2. Incoming Marquette freshman Kelmend Islami (South Milwaukee) and Peter Tongas (Brookfield East) had two goals apiece and 2012 Notre Dame recruit Patrick Hodan (Milwaukee Marquette) added the other. Islami finished the season with 19 of the team's 41 goals and Hodan had eight for FC Milwaukee, which played much of the season without Northern Illinois recruit Dustin Page (Kettle Moraine Lutheran) and UW-Milwaukee recruit Alex Megna (Milwaukee Marquette) because of injury.
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In Under-15/16 play at the Summer Showcase, Cheenuj Shong (Milwaukee Ronald Reagan) scored twice in a 2-1 victory over Nomads and Christian Elliehausen had a late goal in a 1-0 win over Classic Elite (Texas) for FC Milwaukee. The Nationals (5-17-4) dropped a 2-1 decision to the New York Red Bulls in their finale. Miguel Guerrero (Milwaukee Pulaski) led the team with five goals on the season.
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